Michael A. Smith in color

[David R Munson]

1) Visually uninteresting work
2) Absurdly priced

I'm afraid I don't understand this direction for his work.

[tim atherton]

2) Absurdly priced

How so?

It seems to be priced pretty much in the mid-range, especially for someone with Michael Smith's reputation?

[Jeremy Moore]

The "11x14s" are 8x10s.

The 8x10s are inkjet prints.

The larger prints are digital c-prints.

What is the world coming to?

I am still working mostly in black and white and making contact prints.

Michael A. Smith
www.michaelandpaula.com

(not MIke Smith from Tennessee)

Michael,

I'm curious, why inkjets for the smaller prints and digital c-prints for the larger? Just wondering why not use one process for all sizes. Would I be correct in assuming this will be a Lodima book when completed? I'm curious to see a Lodima color book as all the ones I own are quadtone (I believe), but all are of the highest quality.

[Paul Metcalf]

Where do the proceeds go? I hate to see money made from this. It glamorizes a stain that's already on our society. Now if the proceeds go to the victims....

[Michael A. Smith]

Well, I looked at the jpegs on the Vintage Works site for the first time. I must say, the color is all wrong--or at least partly wrong--wrong enough so that the photographs are essentially misrepresented. And the green color background used is simply awful. So, out of courtesy I would ask that these photographs not be judged by these jpegs.

I fully understand that even if the color were right, many would not like these photographs. Fair enough. Not everyone has to like everything and certainly, not everyone has to like my photographs. In fact, I suspect most will dislike these portraits. C'est la vie.

[tim atherton]

when Michael told me a while back he was doing in LF colour portraits I wasn't quite sure what to expect...

in a way, these do quite suprise me because Michael seems to have jumped right in with both feet into a contemporary type of portraiture which is - quite frankly - the domain of something of a younger generation of very successful artists (even if it is perhaps getting a bit crowded).

what's impressive to me is that not only is Michael willing to try what appears to be a very new direction, but he does so at a level which on first glance finds him easily on the same playing field as Struth or Soth or Hanzlova or Dijkstra

[tim atherton]

Where do the proceeds go? I hate to see money made from this. It glamorizes a stain that's already on our society. Now if the proceeds go to the victims....

I dunno - where does the Sheriff give the proceeds of his charitable venture...? why the assumption that every hardworking artist has to somehow make donations whenever they photograph anything that's remotely of public interest?

And I somehow think your idea of glamorize is rather different from mine...?

[scott_6029]

I would SRONGLY recommend anyone viewing the link to READ the bio which explains what was going on behind this series...I think it sheds important light on the subject matter...no pun intended...

It does help me understand what is going on 'behind' this project...I am sure there is 'more' to come, such as the book with portraits and the stories.

I find the images intriguing, and 'haunting' and I am sure the stories behind them will make it even more interesting...

the range of emotions that run through the mind just looking at the images is interesting to me...(i.e. false conslusions?, accurate conclusions?, history of the individual, lifestyle, tough childhood, what did they do? how did they get there? and, on and on...

[David R Munson]

How so?

It seems to be priced pretty much in the mid-range, especially for someone with Michael Smith's reputation?

See point one. I don't mean any offense to Mr Smith, but I just don't see the draw of the work, and if the work doesn't speak to me any sort of pricing like that is just ludicrous as far as I'm concerned. But, others will disagree. Much more compelling work can be had for far less money. But then, I also don't give a shit about what reputation a photographer has, only the work itself.

FWIW, I did read up on the series and what was behind the idea. If others like the work and are not bothered by the price, that's fine. This is art, after all - one of the most easily disagreed-upon things there is in all of human existence.

[tim atherton]

See point one..

1) Visually uninteresting work

okay, why?